Locomotive-booster apparatus



Nov. -1 1927.

M. H. ROBERTS I LOCOMOTIYE BOOSTER APPARATUS 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed 001;. 5

I I I I l I I l l I r. I I I I I I l I l l l I I I I M. w m

m m E WI TNESS INVE OR A TTORN E Y3 Nov. 1 1927. 1,647,146

M. H. ROBERTS LOCOMOTIVE BOOSTER APPARATUS Filed Oct. 5, 1922 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ia VENTOR BY, g l i A TIORNE Y5 WITNESS XWW,

rammed Nov 1, 1927.

UNITED STATES 2' 1,647,146 PATENT OFFICE.

HONTAGUE H. ROBERTS, F EE'GLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB '10 FBANEIJIN' RAILWAY SUPPLY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

LOGOMOTIVE-IBOOSTER APPARATUS.

This invention relates to locomotive booster apparatus and it has for its primary object the provision of improvements whereby cer tain difliculties, specifically pointed out hereinafter, are overcome.

- The foregoing, together with such other objects as may hereinafter appear or are incident to my invention, I obtain by means of-a construction which I'have illustrated 1n preferred form in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a partial plan and sectional v1ew of a locomotive booster illustrating the application of my improvements thereto; F 1g. 2 is an enlarged section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to Fig. 1, thebooster engine apparatus, indicated as a whole by the reference letter A, is, in part, supported on the axle 7 of a truck, such for example, as the trailing truck of a locomotive, and in part either on some other portion of the truck or from the locomotive structure.

The booster comprises, inter alia, the bed plate 8 which, together with such members as the top or cover plate 9, the side plate 10 and the plate 11, constituting a closed, 011- tight casing, which houses the working parts such as the gearing B for driving the axle 7, the connecting rod or crank arm C, the valve motions D, etc. These working parts are preferably lubricated by a splash system and the casing, therefore, is intended to contain a suflicient quantity of oil at all times for 7 this purpose.

The cylinders and valve chests, indicated by the reference letter E, are secured to the rear end of the casing, the piston rods 12, of course, extending into the casing and being provided with cross. heads 13. The

' valves 14 are preferably of the piston type detrimental results. It is practically impossible to provide packings which will not either leak or permit condensate to work past without producing a binding action on the pistons and rods and even if it were possible to make them sufiiciently tight for this purpose, the wear would in a short time make them leaky. I overcome this difiiculty in the following manner:

Referring now first to the rods 15 for the piston valves 14, I provide a cap member 18 over the openings 19 in the chest through which the rods extend. A wire gasket 20 is interposed between each 'cap and the valve chest and the cap is held in place as by means of the studs 20', indicated in Fig. 3, The head of the cap is, of course, a-pertured for passage of the rod and it is providedwith a neck 21 on which the packing gland member 22 is threaded. There is also an annular groove 23 formed in the head from which the pipe 24 leads to a discharge pipe 25 which discharges to the atmosphere.

' Within the cap 18 I provide the wipe packing F, the construction of which is clearly shown in Fig. 2. This packing is always held in tight condition by the spring 26.

It will be seen, therefore, that the valve rods have two packings between which there is a vent to the atmosphere. Any leakage past the packing F will thus vent itself to the atmosphere and none will pass the packing gland 22. in which connection it will be borne in mind that there is no pressure'on the packing of this glandbecause of the interposed vent to the atmosphere.

With reference to the piston rods 12, it

will'be seen that in all material respects a similar arrangement is provided to prevent leakage into the casing. As before, two spaced packings F and 22' are provided and at a point intermediate the two there is an annular chamber or space 23. It is unnecessary, however. toprovide vent pipes, the port 23' (see Fig. 2) serving the same purose. p What I claim is:

1. In combination, a locomotive booster mechanism including a steam chamber, a piston operating within said chamber, an engine casing operatively associated with said steam chamber for housing a driving mechanism actuated by said piston, said driving mechanism operating in a bath of lubricant contained within said engine casing,

and means for efl'ectually precluding the passage of steam into said engine casing at the same time that it efi'ectually prevents the leakage of the lubricant therefrom.

2. In combination, a locomotive booster mechanism including a piston chamber and a valve chamber for controlling the supply of steam to said piston chamber, a casing for housing a driving mechanism actuated by the piston and valve, said driving mechanism being operated in a bath of oil contained in said casing, and means operatively associated with said mechanism for commonly preventing the passage of steam into said oil casing and for preventing the leakage of oil therefrom.

3. In combination, a booster mechanism including a steam chamber, a driving mechanism operated thereby including an oil casing disposed adjacent said steam chamber, the opposed faces of said chamber and casing being provided with alined openings through which a rod reciprocates, and means associated with that portion of said rod which extends between said openings for commonly preventing the escape of steam from the steam chamber and oil from the oil casing.

4. In combination, a booster mechanism includinga steam chamber, a driving mechanism operated thereby including an oil casing, said chamber and easing being disposed adjacent one another and being provided with registering openings through which a moving element reciprocates and a seal surrounding said moving element in the vicinity of saidopenings for efiectually preventing the leakage of oil from the casing, said seal being further arranged to vent any escaped steam from the steam chamber to the atmosphere. 1 a

, 5. In combination, a booster mechanism including piston and valve chambers, an oil casing disposed ,adjacent said chambers, a piston and a valve arranged within said chambers, respectively, for operative connection with a driving mechanism housed within said oil casing, and means for preventing the leakage of oil from said oil cas-' ing and the passage of steam from said chambers into said casing.

6. In combination, a including piston and valve chambers, an oil casing disposed adjacent said chambers, a piston and a valve arranged within" said chambers, respectively, for operative connection with a driving mechanism housed within said oil casing, and a pair of seals for preventing the leakage of oil from said. oil casing and the passage of steam from said chambers into said casing, one of said seals being disposed entirely within said oil casing and the other thereof being disposed intermediate said oilcasing and one of said steam chambers. a

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

- MONTAGUE H. ROBERTS.

booster mechanism a DISCLAIMER 1,647,146.M0ntague H. Roberts, Englewood, N. J. Locomo'rrvn-Boos'rnn APPA- RATUS. Patentdated November 1, 1927. Disclaimer filed April 5, 1933, by the assignee, Franklin Railway Supply Company. v Hereby-enters this disclaimer to that part of the claims in said specification which is in the following words, to wit:

1. In combination, a locomotive booster mechanism including a steam chamber, a piston operating within said chamber, an engine casing op'eratively associated with said steam chamber for housing a driving mechansim actuated by said piston, said driving mechanism operating in a bath of lubricant contained within said engine casing, and means for effectually precluding the passage of steam into said engine.

casing at the same time that it effectually prevents the leakage of the lubricant therefrom. c

2. In combination, a locomotive booster mechanism including a piston chamber and a valve chamber for controlling the supply of steam to said piston chamber, acasing for housing a driving mechanism actuated by the piston and valve, said driving mechanism being operated in a bath of oil contained in said casing, and means operatively associated with said mechanism for commonly preventing the passage of steam into said oil casing and for preventing leakage of oil therefrom.

3. In combination, a booster mechanism including a steam chamber, a driving mechanism operated thereby including an oil casing disposed adjacent said steam v chamber, the opposed-faces of said chamber and easing being provided with alined openings through which a rod reciprocates, and means associated with that portion of said rod which extends between said openings for commonly preventing the escape of steam from the steam chamber and oil from the oil casing.

4; In combination, a booster mechanism including a steam chamber, a driving mechanism operated thereby including an oileasing, said chamber and easing being disposed adjacent one another and being provided with registering openings through which a moving element reciprocates and a seal surrounding said moving element in the vicinity of said openings for effectually preventing the leakage of oil from the casing, said seal being further arranged to vent any escaped steam from the steam chamber to the atmosphere.

5. In combination, a booster'mechanism including piston and valve chambers,

an oil casing disposed adjacent said chambers, a piston and a valve arranged within 1 said chambers, respectively, for operative connection with a driving mechanism housed within said oil casing, and means for preventing the leakage of oil from said oil casing and the passage of steam from said chambers into said casing.

[Ojicial Gazette JIay .9, 1983.] I 

